


Let Me Help

by pkg4mumtown



Category: John Wick (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dog bite, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Murder, Sexual Harassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 14:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19465888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pkg4mumtown/pseuds/pkg4mumtown
Summary: Tumblr request for Protective!JohnYou work at a bookstore out of necessity, with a boss who’s a disgusting bag of dicks. A stranger does his best to help you out of your current situation.





	Let Me Help

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, this took me forever because it never wanted to end! I hope this sufficed to fill the request (and I hope it’s good lol)!

The bookstore was always empty around this time in the afternoon. It was a weird block of time where most people were still working and kids were still in school, so the retired crowd was more prominent and they tended to keep to themselves. As a result, it was my favorite time of the day, when I could finish restocking books and not be pulled in every direction by people needing assistance. The absence of a lot of customers usually meant my boss took the opportunity to harass me more, but I needed this job and kept to myself. The door chimed, announcing someone’s arrival and causing me to hurriedly finish stocking the books in my arms.

“Welcome to Classics!” I shouted over the bookshelf, seeing a tall man searching for the source of my voice.

He was carrying a large box in his arms and started walking over to me as soon as he spotted me. He stood patiently in the aisle as I tried to rid my arms of the books as fast as possible.

“I’m sorry, give me two seconds, sir,” I requested, turning my head toward him and flashing a welcoming smile. I took in his appearance in the quick glance, seeing a brown leather jacket; soft, dark hair; and a well-kept beard. I finished putting the last book in its place and jogged over to the man, “So sorry to keep you waiting, how can I help you?”

“Don’t worry about it…” he started, his eyes flashing to my name tag and back up to my eyes, “Y/N.” My eyes fell on the box he was holding, reminding him of why he was here in the first place, “I, uh, spoke to your manager about selling these.”

“Oh! Right, he mentioned that someone was coming in today. Please, follow me,” I led him to the center of the bookstore, where there was a large circular desk that housed the cash register, books that needed to be stocked, returned books, and other trinkets. He set the box down with an unintentionally heavy thud. “I’m so sorry I made you wait, that had to weigh so much.”

“It’s nothing, really,” he replied, taking the lid off the box and presenting the books to me.

“These are gorgeous,” I said in awe as I ran my hand over the leather binding.

“Thanks,” he replied softly, his cheeks reddening as if he had never been complimented for his work.

“You bound these?” I asked a little too excitedly. I opened one, starting to catalog them in the computer. My eyes dropped to the name stamped into the inside of the cover. _This book bound by John Wick._

“Guilty,” he shrugged, letting a small smile adorn his face. He stacked the books on the table to make it easier for me to grab them.

“I’ve actually been looking for someone to restore a book I have. How much do you charge?” I asked, my eyes glued to the computer screen as I typed.

“I don’t.”

My eyes snapped to his, staring at him like he grew a second head, “You don’t expect me to believe you’d do this for free if someone commissioned you, do you?”

“I’ve never been commissioned for a restoration,” he confessed.

“Well, you are now. How much would you charge?” I asked, going back to the task at hand while secretly hoping it wouldn’t be an obscene amount.

“I’d do it for free.”

“I’m serious, Mr. Wick.”

“As am I,” he replied, checking the date on his phone. “I’ll swing by on Thursday and pick it up, how does that sound?”

“Okay, but you _have_ to let me buy you lunch,” I pleaded, handing him his payment.

“I can live with that,” he nodded, offering his hand for me to shake. “See you then, Y/N.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Wick.”

“John,” he corrected, letting go of my hand, grabbing his box, and leaving the store.

As promised, he came in around noon a few days later. I had stashed my book under the counter that morning while I got to work. I was stocking again, so lost in my own head that I hadn’t heard the chime of the door or John approach me.

“Y/N,” I heard his voice behind me, making me jump and nearly drop the books in my arms.

I turned, seeing him leaning nonchalantly against the bookshelf behind me, “You scared the,” I glanced around me and lowered my voice, “ _shit_ out of me.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, offering a sheepish smile.

I hurriedly finished the pile of books I carried in my arms, finally finishing and turning back to John.

“Alright, let me go tell my boss I’m going on my lunch break,” I told him, heading to the register where my boss was assisting someone.

I grabbed the book from under the counter and waited for him to stop talking. John waited patiently a few feet away, making me feel more at ease as I approached my boss.

“I’m going on my lunch, Greg,” I announced to him as the customer left.

He turned sharply towards me, a predatory look in his eyes that sent chills down my spine. He stepped into my personal space, leaving barely an inch between us; making me step back but I was already against the counter.

“Don’t be too long, Y/N,” he licked his lips, his hand closing around my wrist.

I looked everywhere but at him, praying he would back away soon. I clutched the book tighter, side stepping away and wrenching my wrist from his grasp. Unbeknownst to me, John had seen the entire interaction, nearly stepping in until I was able to free myself. He made a mental note to check this “Greg” guy out, thinking to himself that a few visits to the store throughout the week wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t mind keeping an eye on the situation now that it had caught his attention, especially when it came to something he knew he could stop. John had pulled his phone out to give the impression that he was preoccupied, only putting it away when he noticed me approaching him.

“Ready?” I asked him, my breath slightly shaky.

John nodded, walking with me out of the store and holding the door open for me. I led him to a sandwich shop a couple stores down and slapped his hand away when he tried to give the cashier his card to pay. He graced me with a grin at my actions, probably not used to someone paying for him. We sat at an empty table and began discussing the book as we ate. I slid it over to him, watching him inspect the tattered cover and gently skim the pages with his fingers.

“Do you have any particular style you want?” He asked as he set the book back down.

“I’m giving you creative freedom. I’m sure it’ll be beautiful no matter what you do to it,” I smiled, remembering how elegant the other ones were.

We grew quiet as we continued eating, the book discussion having ended quickly.

“So, do you have any pets?” I asked the first thing that came to mind, breaking the ice between us.

He nodded, finishing his bite before responding, “A blue Staffordshire Terrier.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m sure it’s gorgeous. What’s its name?” I gushed as images of what the dog might have look liked flooded my head.

“He…he doesn’t have a name. I just call him Dog,” he answered hesitantly, blushing at his lack of creativity.

I covered my mouth as I let out a soft laugh, “So long as he’s loved, it doesn’t matter.”

“I agree. What about you?” he tilted his head at me.

“I wish, I just can’t afford one right now,” I sighed, my eyes dropping.

“Well,” he started, trying to phrase his words in a way that wouldn’t sound creepy, “If you ever need the stress relief, let me know. He loves meeting people and I take him for walks around here sometimes,” he offered with a gentle smile.

When we were done, he walked me back to the bookstore and left. I dreaded finishing out the day knowing Greg had seen me leave with John. Greg had given me weird vibes from the first interview I had for this job, but I needed the money and didn’t have any other options at the time. The job was easy, I simply preferred it when he wasn’t there or holed up in his office. As expected, Greg cornered me in one of the aisles later, making disgusting comments and invading my space until he was satisfied with his harassment.

The binding John did on my book was impeccable and I thanked him endlessly for it. A couple months passed from that day and John visited the store frequently since then. Sometimes, he could only stay for a bit and would talk to me about new books we received as I worked. Those days I almost didn’t recognize him since he would be in a full three-piece suit and his soft hair would be gelled back. Other days, he stayed for hours and would occupy the floor of the aisle I was working in, simply sitting and reading whatever he had purchased that day. Those days were my favorite, as he usually read aloud and graced my ears with his soothing, yet rugged voice. I didn’t mind him being there because his presence was warm, comforting, and tended to keep Greg away from me, whether John realized it or not. Occasionally, seemingly by chance, John would be waiting with Dog outside during my lunch breaks. _Or maybe not by chance._ Dog was a joy to be around and took a liking to me almost immediately. His body would wiggle uncontrollably as I stepped out of the store and approached him. John would jokingly complain that I was more excited to see Dog than him, but there was no way I’d tell him that he brought joy into my day with or without Dog.

Today, I was anxious and for good reason. I had caught Greg following me around the store a few times, making me hope that John would come in today, but he didn’t always come in every day. He had a life despite how often he spent his time here. Just as I got my hopes up that Greg had gotten busy, a chilling voice sounded close behind me.

“You’ve been avoiding me, Y/N, I don’t appreciate that,” Greg hissed, stepping closer until his front was touching my back. I froze, too scared to even look around to see if anyone could help me. “What’s the matter? That old man isn’t here to _scare_ me off?”

One of his hands gripped my hip tightly while the other trapped me with a hand on the shelving in front of me. I shut my eyes, willing this to all be a nightmare. I was shaking violently as he released puffs of air against my ear. I turned my head the opposite way, opening my eyes and seeing a familiar brown jacket appear around the bookshelf. My gaze met John’s, his fists clenching as he read the panic in my eyes.

The sight of John gave me a surge of adrenaline, enough to wrench myself from Greg’s grip. I blindsided John by throwing my arms around him and nearly toppling him over with the force of my hug. I had never hugged him before, and for a split second I thought about what I was missing as his arms wrapped around me to catch me. I relaxed almost immediately in his embrace but snapped out of it as I remembered who was behind us.

“ _Please_ play along,” I whispered in his ear. I pulled my head back, cupping his face in my hand and kissing his cheek, “I missed you, John.”

“I missed you, too, sweetheart,” John gave me a brilliant smile, using his fingers to brush a few strands of hair from my face. He pulled me tighter against him, dropping a kiss to my forehead before speaking again, “Go get your things, I’m taking you out for lunch.”

I nodded, leaving the safety of his arms to head to the cashier’s desk where I kept my phone and other belongings locked. Greg made a move to leave the aisle, but John blocked him, trapping him against the shelving; just as I had been. John looked over to make sure I was out of sight before continuing.

“Doesn’t feel nice, does it?” John murmured, shoving him harder against the shelving.

“Screw you,” Greg sneered. “I’ve been fucking that ass for weeks an—” his voice was cut off as John grabbed him by the throat.

“No, you haven’t,” John replied over the sounds of Greg gurgling. “You know how I know?” John chuckled with a gravelly undertone. “Because I know _every move_ you’ve made the past couple months. I know that you lock the doors here at exactly 6:55 p.m. I know that your car’s rear passenger door has a busted lock, and anyone can break into it,” he sneered, watching Greg’s eyes grow wide. “Does 1781 Foley Street ring a bell? It should, it’s your house. What about the fact that you leave your bedroom window open at night because you think it being on the second floor makes it _safe_? You know, you _really_ ought to dust under your bed once in a while. The boogeyman doesn’t like to get his suit dirty,” he growled, finally releasing Greg's neck.

“I swear…” Greg panted, “I’m gonna fucki—”

John swiftly elbowed him in the face, then grabbed the back of his neck while landing a punch to his stomach with his other hand.

“You will do nothing because you can _do_ _nothing,_ do you understand me?” John pulled Greg’s face away from him, not satisfied with the pained face he saw. He pushed Greg up against the shelves once more, turning his hips and pressing the gun in his waistband into Greg’s stomach. “Do you feel that? I promise you, it’s not because I’m happy to see you,” he snarled and finally stepped back from Greg, “If you ever touch her or intimidate her again, I’ll know, and you won’t be breathing when I’m done.”

John stalked away with murder written on his face in search of me. He found me standing at the register, using the counter to keep myself upright.

“I was serious about lunch, come on,” he held his hand out to me, his gaze just as soft as when he held me.

I nodded, silently grabbing my things and following him out of the store. As we made it through the front door, I only lasted a few steps before my resolve broke and my face crumbled. I grabbed his wrist, stopping his strides and making him look at me. He saw my tear-filled eyes and pulled me into his arms. I buried my face in his jacket as sobs wracked my body. My hands clenched the back of his jacket, not wanting to let him go.

John ran his hand through my hair to comfort me, “You’re okay now, I’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry,” I sniffled, pulling my face away from his jacket.

“Why are you sorry?” he murmured, running his thumbs across my cheeks to stop the tears in their tracks.

“For bringing you into this mess,” I scoffed, shaking my head.

“Trust me, I’ve been in messes. This was not a mess,” he dismissed my claim.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I sighed, smiling at his caring eyes.

“I hardly did anything, Y/N. _But_ you can come sit with me and let me buy you lunch. I’ll be eternally grateful,” he laughed at my unconvinced expression, but I agreed anyway.

John was quiet as we ate, lost in thought as he stared out of the window. I took the opportunity to examine his face, taking in the way his eyes scanned any passing movement. His face was littered with small scars that I never noticed, and I briefly wondered what else he got himself into besides book binding. He turned his head back to me, catching me staring at him.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him. “You’re quiet today.”

“Why don’t you quit this job?” he murmured. “It’s not good for you to stay around this guy.”

“What am I supposed to do, John? I have loans, bills, and rent to pay; I can’t _just_ quit,” I snapped.

“I’ll hire you,” he replied softly.

“To do what? Organize your books?” I asked sarcastically and shook my head.

“To take care of Dog and my house while I’m at work. I’m away from home for days at a time and I don’t always have someone to watch him.”

“John, I can’t…”

“Sure, you can,” he insisted.

“I can’t take money from you.”

“You’re not taking it, Y/N,” he chuckled. “I’ll pay you better than your current job and you’ll have fun.” He reached out, placing his hand on mine, “I’m worried about you.”

“You shouldn’t be,” I mumbled, looking away from him. He clenched his jaw, sticking to his offer firmly despite my defiance. “Fine,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “When would I start?” I asked, realizing he wasn’t going to give up.

“Whenever you want,” he shrugged. “I have to travel in a couple days, and I’ll be gone for four days, so you could start then. I’ll even go with you to quit, right now,” he nodded in the general direction of the bookstore.

So, we did just that. We finished eating and John marched right alongside me as I strolled in the store with my new-found confidence. I didn’t even bother to check if I had caught Greg’s attention before I spoke.

“I quit,” I said firmly as I approached the register.

Greg had his head down and turned his body away from me, “Okay.”

The corner of John’s mouth lifted into a smirk at the sight of Greg trying to hide his materializing black eye.

“Okay?” I questioned, not believing that was it.

“Yes!” he snapped, glancing out of the corner of his eye and catching John’s intimidating gaze, “I’ll mail your check out today.”

John didn’t see any point in standing in the store any longer. He tugged my hand, pulling me out of my stupor and out the front door. Before I could comment on how weird the situation was, John pulled me into his arms. He hugged me for the third time today and held my fingers with his as he released me, “Go home and take some time off. I’ll call you later with the dates, okay?”

“I really appreciate this, John. I’ll start job searching ASAP, so I don’t have to mooch off you too much,” I laughed lightly.

“Y/N, I promise this is no trouble. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to watch Dog and my home but you. I’ll just give you more to do, so you don’t have time for another job,” he joked, stepping back from me as if he was about to walk away.

“Are you busy today?” I asked cautiously, catching his attention before he could walk off.

“No, why?” he asked, stopping in his tracks.

“Do you think we could go somewhere with Dog? I miss him,” I asked, twiddling my thumbs hopefully. He simply nodded and smiled, leading me away from the store.

The day before John was supposed to leave, he took me to the store and had me pick out any groceries I’d need for the days he was gone. I fought him tooth and nail on buying the groceries, but he wasn’t having it. He was leaving early tomorrow, so he had me bring my clothes and car over today, so he could leave the house key with me. I was nervous about sleeping in his house with him still in it, but I knew I had no reason to be.

John led me around the house, taking me through the living room, spotless kitchen, and bypassing a single closed door before heading upstairs. I barely had time to marvel at how beautiful the house was, if a little large and empty. I followed him to the guest bedroom, where I set my bag on the bed.

“You can use my bed after I leave. It’s a lot more comfortable than this one,” he gestured to the guest bed. “My bathroom has a better showerhead and a tub, so feel free to use that, too.”

I blushed at the thought, “That won’t be necessary, John.”

“I insist, the mattress is better and bigger,” he shrugged, letting a beat of silence fall on the room. “Uh, I just need to show you one more thing,” he nodded out of the bedroom.

I followed him back downstairs, getting distracted by the large expanse of windows that revealed trees in the backyard. I almost ran into him, stopping behind him just in time as he opened the door we passed earlier. A staircase was revealed behind the door, leading down into a basement.

“Nothing is off limits to you, so I just wanted you to know what was in here. My book binding stuff is down here, and I own guns, so if you happen to come down here don’t freak out,” he said as he took a few steps down the stairs and let me see the room from the top of the stairs.

“I don’t think I’ll be down here, don’t worry,” I offered him a small smile.

“Just a precaution.”

I made him let me cook dinner as a thanks for the groceries, which ended with me coercing him into watching a movie with me on the couch. We had both changed into sleep attire, my first-time seeing John in sweats _and I wasn’t complaining._ My eyes grew heavy as the movie continued, causing me to drop the side of my head to John’s shoulder, my brain not thinking clearly enough in that moment to tell me it was inappropriate. I froze as he moved his arm, thinking he was going to move me, but he brought it up and around my shoulders. I tucked my head against his chest, letting his scent and warmth surround me as his fingers absentmindedly combed through my hair. While his embrace was the best thing I’d felt in a long time, I grew a little awkward, as if I was invading his personal space, so I moved to separate myself from him.

“Sorry,” I mumbled an apology.

“For what?” he murmured back, looking down at me but still holding me against him.

I met his questioning gaze, glancing away briefly as I gathered my thoughts, “For—uh—I…”

His hand coaxed my head up by the back of my neck, forcing me to look him in his eyes. His eyes roamed my face, taking in every micro-twitch of my mouth, nose, and eyes. His head dipped down as I tilted my chin up, my breath hitching in my throat at the sight of his parted lips. As if on command, Dog jumped to his feet from where he laid next to me and jumped into my lap. His nails dug into the skin of my thighs, causing me to yelp in pain and pull my head back so I could push him off me. John wrapped his arms around Dog, hauling him off me and taking the lick attack like a true champion. He lifted his chin to escape the slobber and gently pushed Dog’s face away.

I laughed at the interaction, clearing my throat as it had gone dry out of nervousness, “I’ll let you two get to bed, I wouldn’t want you to be late tomorrow.”

I stood, watching John's eyes follow my movements with his brows knitted together. I scratched behind Dog’s ears, then rested my hand on John’s shoulder. I disappeared around the corner, letting my fingers skim off his shoulder as I walked away.

“Why’d you do that, huh?” I heard him let out a long sigh as he chastised the dog. The dog simply whined in response, more concerned with being pet than what he interrupted.

I thought I would have trouble falling asleep here, but the room carried his scent mixed with detergent and lulled me right to sleep. At six in the morning, the bedroom door creaked open followed by nails clacking on the floor. The mattress dipped as Dog jumped on the bed, walking over to my half-asleep form and laying his head on my chest. I groaned, bringing my hand to his neck and lazily scratching him. I opened my eyes, seeing his blurry form staring back at me. I squinted and blinked a couple times, looking up and seeing John’s form in the doorway. I jumped slightly, not even seeing him there until now.

“John?” I murmured, rubbing my face.

“Sorry, he woke you,” he said from the doorway. He took a hesitant step forward, then back, before making up his mind and stepping into the room.

“It’s fine,” I mumbled, blinking a few more times as John approached the side of the bed and unbuttoned his suit jacket.

He squatted down until he was level with my face, half of which was pressed into the pillow, “I’m heading out. I left the key in the kitchen and his leash is by the front door. He doesn’t really need it, but it puts everyone else at ease,” he whispered as if he didn’t want to disrupt the calming aura of the room. “I’ll call you later to see how the day went, okay?”

I nodded, listening to John tell Dog to be good and rubbing his jowls lovingly. He stood, grunting softly as his knee popped. John’s hand grabbed mine from where it laid on Dog’s neck, squeezing my fingers with his hand. He pulled his hand away, bringing it back to the buttons of his jacket and closing the material around himself. The material bulged around the back of his waist, but I didn’t know what it was, nor did I ask.

“See you,” he muttered his goodbye and silently stepped out of the room.

The four days went by fairly quickly, due to the fact that it didn’t really feel like a job. I woke up, ate and fed Dog, played outside, and took him for at least one walk per day. I lounged for the rest of the time unless he was still hyper. On his walks, Dog took me through downtown along a similar route that John followed, except I would make him cross the street when I got to the bookstore. One of the days that I passed the store, I glanced across the street and felt my blood run cold as my eyes met Greg’s through the front window of the store. His eye had a healing bruise, but he gave me a sinister smile, a complete three-sixty to his attitude when I quit. I broke eye contact and hastened my pace back to John’s house.

The evening when John would be coming home, I waited for him to arrive so that Dog wouldn’t be left by himself. If I was being honest with myself, I wanted an excuse to see John again before I went home. We were cuddled up on the couch, Dog in my lap while I read to him. His head perked up as a distant slam emanated down John’s driveway, but he immediately let out a deep, short bark. I furrowed my brows, knowing that when we arrived at the house a few days ago Dog didn’t bark at the door since he knew the sound of John’s car and keys.

I slowly got up off the couch, staying clear of the windows and peeking out of the side of one near the drive way. Three masked men approached the house, sending my heart into a panic. I grabbed my phone and shut the lights in the living room off before grabbing Dog by the collar and leading him upstairs. My fingers fumbled to find John’s contact in my panic, but I was eventually able to. Any logical person would have called the police, but John was the first person to enter my mind. In my hurry, I forgot to close the door to John’s bedroom as I hid myself in his closet. The phone rang twice before his voice sounded over the phone.

“Y/N? I’m on my way back. I tho—”

“John,” I cut him off with a shaky breath. “Someone's trying to break in. I—” I stopped as I heard glass shattering.

“Y/N!?” He called my name to get my attention as I went quiet. “You need to hide, now. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“I took Dog into your closet with me,” I whispered. “He’s trying to run out.”

“You need to let him do his job and protect you.”

“It’s my job to protect _him_ ,” I hissed back.

He sighed, his car loud in the phone speaker as he sped up, “Y/N, I love you, but you need to let him distract them until I get there.”

“John…”

“Now.”

I ended the call, taking a few deep breaths before gathering the courage to leave the closet. I heard their voices downstairs as I moved as quietly as possible while holding Dog.

“Man, are you sure she’s here? This house is way too fucking fancy for someone who just quit their job,” one voice sounded.

“Of course, I’m fucking sure,” Greg's all too familiar voice sounded, “I followed her here.”

I covered my mouth to keep myself silent as I saw their forms move in the dark from the top of the stairs. I glanced down at Dog, gulping and letting his collar go. He shot down the stairs and latched onto one intruder’s leg before they could react to the sound of his approach. The man screamed as Dog stood over him with his jaws clamped firmly on the man’s thigh.

“Just fucking shoot the dog!” Greg let out a frustrated shout.

“No! You’re gonna shoot me! Find the lights!” the man on the floor shouted back as the third man pointed his gun at him, taking a wild guess at where the dog was.

I shuffled backwards back toward John’s room but hit the doorframe and fell on the floor with a thud. One of them managed to find a switch, flooding the downstairs area in light. I met Greg’s unmistakably evil eyes despite the rest of his face being covered. He bolted toward the stairs just as I saw John enter the house with a pistol drawn.

“Dog!” I called out, causing Dog to look toward my voice and see Greg. He made a beeline up the stairs and sank his teeth into Greg’s calf. Greg fell face first into the stairs, screaming obscenities at Dog and me.

“Hey!” the uninjured intruder yelled spotting John and pointing his gun.

John wasted no time in shooting him and the other man with terrifying speed and accuracy.

“How many?” he growled, looking directly at me.

“Just the three,” I gulped, shakily getting to my feet and leaning against the doorway.

“Are you hurt?”

“N-no.”

My eyes dropped to where Greg was still trying to claw his way up the stairs with Dog attached and tugging on his leg. John approached the stairs, stepping up until he was behind Dog.

“Drop it,” he commanded the dog, who scampered back up the stairs and sat next to me. He stepped over Greg’s body, kneeling on the stairs on either side of him. He pulled Greg’s head up by his hair and murmured in his ear, “You seem to have forgotten our chat the other day.”

“Whatever, you psycho. What are you gonna do? Kill me?” Greg spat.

“Yes,” John answered simply.

“You can’t do that! That’s illegal!” Greg yelled, trying to squirm out from under John.

“So is assault, breaking and entering…” John trailed off, a chuckle escaping his lips. “My job isn’t exactly legal,” he murmured while pressing his gun against Greg’s head. John suddenly remembered I was present, his eyes snapping to my terrified form. He nodded to his room, getting the signal across perfectly.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded, disappearing into his room with Dog and closing the door. A few seconds later, I jumped as a single gunshot rang out. The silence was followed by John speaking, but I couldn’t make out the words.

A soft knock sounded on the door, “Y/N, it’s me.” He twisted the knob and pushed the door open slowly. He stepped cautiously toward me with his palms facing me, “Please, don’t be scared of me.”

“Your job…” I breathed, not moving a muscle.

“Yea. That’s what I do,” he gestured beyond the door.

In a few quick strides, my arms were wrapped around his neck as I hugged him. He released the breath he was holding, relief flooding his body as he hugged me back just as tightly.

“You saved me,” I mumbled against the fabric of his suit.

“I always will,” he replied, pressing his lips to the top of my head.

I felt an overwhelming sense of security in his arms, wanting him to hold me until he grew tired of me. His hands soothed through my hair, calming me down from the experience.

“John?” I separated my face from his jacket to look at his shadowed features. “About what you said on the phone…”

“I meant it,” he finished, pressing his lips against my forehead. “I do love you.”

“I love you, too, John.”

His lips found mine in the darkness of the room, applying just enough pressure to convey his feelings without overwhelming me after the events of tonight. I buried my face into his chest, smiling into his shirt as my lips tingled from the contact with his.

“So, does this mean I don’t have a job anymore?” I laughed into his chest, my shoulders shaking along with my words. He didn’t answer me, instead his chest rumbled with laughter of his own.


End file.
